Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-09-15

excitement hardly unnatural under all
the circumstances. They all felt irritat-
ed; first with the train, because it did not
come before its time; then with them
selves, because they had hurried. Olive
herself was the calmest of the trio,
though her eager eyes showed how she
felt, and her tightly interlaced fingers
were an evidence of the constraint which
she was putting on her emotions. At
last the bell rang, and slowly the train
swept into the station. They had hur-
ried forward TO welcome him-Olive to
meet her lover, the others to greet a
stranger. But where was he? At first
they had waited for him to step out on
the platform; then, not seeing him, they
went hurriedly along the train peering
into carriage after carriage, but the most
diligen5 search could convince them Of
but one thing-his absence. There was
no passenger by the train, hunt though
they might. The train moved out, and
they remained perplexed and bewildered.
AS the last hope seemed to vanish low
cry from Olive reached her father, and
he turned just in time to catch her be-
fore she fell to the ground. He called
cab and put her in, thinking as he did
so that the strain was now going to tell
upon her, and that sharp illness would
be the probable result. Yet by the time
home WIS reached she seemed better, and
despite all their efforts, she refused to go
to bed. She insisted on staying up and
waiting-fOr what? They would have
telegraphed, but remembered just in
time that Henry, in his last letter, had
said that he was leaving the hotel at
which he had been stopping in order to
sleep at one nearer the station, SO that
they had no address to which they could
send message. It was a terrible day,
for the hours crept by and yet no news
came till some time after midday. Olive
looking anxiously from the window, sp1ed
cut the postman in the distance and
hurriedly ran to meet him. There was a
letter to her in g strange writings but all
the news il contained was in few lines
which said how Mr.. Brinton had raet with
an accident at the station which prevent
ed his travelling that day. With this
| they had to remain content as best they
could. The others went about theil
duties with heavy hearts; but Olive sat
drearily gazing down the lane, watching
for the lover who did not GENE, while hel
lips seemed to form the refrain of the
old childish sport. "He cometh, he
cometh not"
So the day wore away; but just as dark
seemed tc close in and preclude al
further hope of news, the whole house
hold was startled by & loud shrek. Theg
rushed down to find Give motionless on
| the hall hoec, her hand clutched over g
letter just opened. The last post heo
been delayed, and once more she hao
| been the oae to receive the letters. One
| glance at the note revealed sill. 1T was
from a stranger, who stated that Mr.
Rrinton had met with a severe aceIaent
! from which concession of the brain of sc
| fetal character had ensued HAT he hae
| died some five hours after the fan. Al
/ this wGs told in the Raost hurried Of
J scrawls, so brief and hasty that the writer
! had forgotten to add his address, or te
give any details as to arrangement
| which might be made.
| of course, the first care with thedOctOl
was TO see his daughter; ssut when sh'
had aoeen put to bed he sat up toeonside
4 the whole matter. He woald, of course
i have hurried up to town himself aout fo
! the I'm possibility of leaving his patient
i at q moments notice, while in edditioi
it seemed scarcely wise TO go until Div
i awoke out of the Inconsistencies int
! which she had fallen. Nezt morning, in
4 deed she vas better, though ther white
IdraWn face and lIsGless manner sbetraye<
4 the full extent of the sheek. EEaen thes
/ she was hardly able to dc more than Lii
i'leaguiGly back in chair, LETTING ether
lido all that was necessary in getting
f'mourning. Her chief employment seem
ED to be that of reading over and owe
i again the announcement Of death which
i had appeared in the morning papers.
must he,ewned that the punctuaI appear
/ ence OF this had anayed much Of tbs
tuneasiness in the worthy doctors mind
/ though he wished most fferveritI,
| that, in addition TO staeing that death
/ was due 10 an accident, it had contained
some information as to the place where
/ the ill-fated Heary Briaton had died
/ -Still he rested content in the knowledge
| that the-solicitors Go the deceased would
| communicate with him when they came
| SO examine into the will
| A fewsdays had worn aEay when Olive
| received g letter stating that tie fgnera
!! had taken place as Highgate Cemetery
| This news turned her thoughts in aerest
direction, and shs followed her father
into his study with the reg uest that be
! would take her up 60 see the grave az
| soon as he could. The only thing which
delayed his consent minute was doubt
! whether the condition of hec health did
not prohibit such a scheme as unwise
bat when he noticed the plaintiff-epen
piteous endurance with wkica she press
ed her request, he gave way, thinking as
he did SO that it weuld be Just as well for
hina to go up himself and see after mat
tiers. The opportunity was q welcome
one on that account, for as he received
no communication fear came ever him
lest the silver Gnay, the golden9 lining to
their cloud should prove illusory.
They went TO London the next morn
ing. but as she obviously shrank from
meeting any one, whether stranger or
friend, he decided to drive off to the GEM
etery at once, and then to try and dis
cover some place where she would be will
ing to go and rest for an hour or two. All
throue hout the drive her nervous excite
ment increased, till he feared that he had
made mistake ia allowing her to en-
counter SO severe trial. The burial
ground was reached, she asked her father
to let her stroll on while he went in to in